Ice Choir
by Sarahmint
Summary: work in progress Sarada goes on a journey to find out what her father is trying to hide after accidentally setting a scroll (meant for her to open after his death) on fire. Multiple pairings, sensitive souls be warned. **Multiple pairings Sarada is Karin's daughter.** Don't like, don't read, don't bother me. Written for operadeglace


Sasuke took Karin by the hand. "Lets go" he said. She followed up up the stones to the end of the bank. "This is where I trained katon". She looked at the water and felt his nostalgia.

Sasuke did not feel right in Konoha. He would always be at peace away from it but knew he was needed by Naruto's side. Sasuke felt himself not wanting to get attention on himself as it was hard to get near a man who was always surrounded by people.

The village did have an enemy. There was a very large group of those who oppose Konoha in a large group. There were missing-nin, Otogakure ninja, outcasts, runnaways, and vagabonds. Ex-convicts joined them as well. Uzumaki Karin welcomed them all.

After the tsukoyomi was released, Sasuke was healed and he went with Taka. Karin reassured Sasuke that everything was going to be alright and hugged him. She could not keep her hands off him. They kissed in the evening when Juugo and Suigetsu went out to get food. When they made love, Karin caught Sasuke's heart "you are never alone" she said on top of him with her eyes upon his.

Weeks later after speaking with the new Hokage and leaving Konoha, Karin was hiding in the bushes when caught Sasuke embracing the headband of the village that Karin hated. The village that not only broke protection of Uchiha, but broke agreement with her birth village of allegiance as Konoha stood down while Kumogakure destroyed everything and everyone she loved. She could not accept it, especially with the words "I'm returning this to you" as an outright rejection of Naruto's so-called "friendship". Sasuke was submitting to Konoha even within the context of loosing his strongest bond. She could not believe her eyes and all she could say was whisper "no" before silently crying behind the trees letting him walk away never revealing her position.

She thought to herself "How could he do this? He loved his family and swore he would protect their honor. Now he is just dropping them? This is not the Sasuke I know." She screamed at him why he would forget his purpose – to bring victory, honor and justice to his family and those of his loved ones, to tell the truth about Konoha's true purpose: the eradication of powerful clans, just as they did to the Uzumaki; Destroying their homeland and suppressing the remnants of the clan to jinchuriki village slaves. Sasuke even was willing to weaken Komogakure and Mizugakure for her when the plan to destroy Konoha succeeded and they had a stronger village. Now he was nothing more then a hollow fabric of what he once was to her. She didn't understand it. His chakra was no longer the structure she loved.

With hatred in her heart against Sasuke, she decided she would finish what he started in her heart. That heart he healed and lead away from a life under Orochimaru and over others in the sun. She will take that power as her own. Within months she did have subordinates. She was good to them all, but quick to defend herself from any slight revelations of vulnerability that she showed and exposed whoever would make her feel that way with a vulnerability of their own. She was as fierce as ever but inside the porcupine armor was a tender and caring matriarch who watched over the well being of each and every person around her, just like she had before watching over prisoners under her first mentor Orochimaru. While she would never let him take everything he wanted she did believe in his cause and realized the day had come for her to take over. He was weak and being eaten away by his own body modifications. Kabuto promised to take care of him but verbalized loss of allegiance to him. With her chakra she could tell he was lying. He would always be loyal to Kabuto. It was his ideology that has changed. He wished to return to Konoha for himself, not to change anything within the system like Sasuke was suppose to do.

It was a month later while helping out with the wood inventory when she started to feel strange. She had to lie down for 15 minutes and something dawned on her. Could she be pregnant? She had herself checked out and she was pregnant. The only problem was she could not afford to have a child as she was busy with taking care of a new village of people. A part of her loved the child but another part of her knew she would never be able to fulfill her dream of protecting the general population. It was a dilemma she didn't ever want to find herself in – to choose between two lives. It was the basis for every conflict and every war and every decision that lead to the death of someone important in her lifetime. Sasuke's family. Her village. Everyone would suffer the cycle of pain and loss with the anger that goes in circles from the decision of a politician at the helm. This time she was the politician and she had to choose between the survival of a dozen people she protected to one unborn fetus. It helped her to understand a little bit of what the Kage actually goes through. Women Kages were not even allowed until Terami Mei of Mizugakure defeated 2 dozen shinobi on a death battle to the Kage seat, only to ban that practice permanently and have a weaker "strategy game" challenge to achieve that seat.


End file.
